


5 Times Ryan Has to Fix His Boys, and 1 Time They Fix Ryan

by CraigAnthony



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: AI Jack, AI Michael, Alternate Universe - Robots & Androids, Cyborg Gavin, Cyborg Geoff, Human Ryan, M/M, Multi, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Robot Ray
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-17
Updated: 2014-04-26
Packaged: 2018-01-19 17:00:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1477183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CraigAnthony/pseuds/CraigAnthony
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes Ryan regrets becoming a mechanic for Achievement Hunter, especially when he enters a relationship with five of his coworkers, all of them robotic in one way or another. Usually everything is fine, with the exception of the few rough weeks. When Ryan has to work overtime to keep his boys in working condition, he finds himself in need of some repairs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is also posted over on my tumblr. I'll probably post on tumblr before posting here, so if you want to read this as sooner then check it out over at http://parseltongueme.tumblr.com/tagged/Robot_AU

Geoff hated being reminded that he was a cyborg. Sure the extra strength and better than perfect eyesight and all the other shit was a nice bonus, but he was just fine pretending he was still completely normal like he was almost twenty years ago, thank you very much. He thought he had been living a pretty good life before all the cyborg and robotic stuff got thrown into the mix. His life had certainly been looking up for him at the time. Then again, things were looking up for Geoff in the present too. He was happy and still had his health and a great job. The only thing he really had to worry about was one of his stupid mechanical parts malfunctioning. Again.

Geoff didn’t usually tell anyone about his malfunctions, though. Malfunctions meant needing to get a surgery-like operation done. Only he and other mechanical people couldn’t go to doctors for these surgeries. Most normal doctors can’t even give someone a mechanical limb much less fix a malfunctioning body part. No, cyborgs, robots, and AI had to go to mechanics when they were having troubles with their robotics.

Geoff was actually pretty damn lucky when it came to having access to a mechanic since he was dating one. But like fuck was he ever going to draw unneeded attention to his robotic parts, especially in situations like the one he was dealing with now. He could tell that something was going wrong with his eyes, but as long as his vision didn’t go away completely, then he didn’t care enough to bother Ryan with even complaining about it.

He couldn't hide it forever, though. Especially not from the other Achievement Hunters, who knew him too well sometimes. Jack and Michael were the first two to notice, but Geoff figured that was just because they're AI. It didn't have anything to do with him being too obvious about his problems; at least he hoped it didn’t. Now, if Gavin ever noticed a mechanical issue Geoff was having without being told about it, then it would be an actual issue, and Geoff would start to worry about his methods of hiding his problems.

But Gavin never had the chance to notice on his own. Jack or Michael must have gone around and ratted Geoff out to the rest of the office. Geoff knew, though, that Jack had to be the one to tell Ryan. Jack had always been the most caring and compassionate of the six, so he always makes sure to do everything he can to get his boyfriends (or "botfriends" as Ray liked to call himself and the others) fixed and well again. That always meant telling Ryan, the only full-human of their group and also the most qualified mechanic at Rooster Teeth.

Ryan was obviously no stranger to fixing his boys, and he had even tried for a while to get them all to go to him for regular check-ups. That idea didn't go over so well with Gavin and Geoff, who both outright refused to admit something might be wrong with their wiring and mechanical parts. At least Gavin's refusal was out of fear that something might be really wrong, while Geoff was just too stubborn. Still, it was a nice enough idea. The other Achievement Hunters appreciated Ryan's concern for them but insisted that regular examinations weren't really needed, so Ryan trusted that Jack would tell him if anybody needed special work. Geoff thought they both were overreacting, particularly with the case now at hand.

So what if his eyes suddenly looked a litter duller and lazier than usual? Maybe they just needed to be cleaned. And what does it matter that he has dark circles? He just hasn't been sleeping well for the past few days. It must be stress or something keeping him up all night. He's sure that the nearly constant headache and hazy gaze is from the lack of sleep too. Actually, he knew none of that was the case.

But that's what he would tell his boyfriends if and when they asked. He knew he was malfunctioning. He knew, and it pissed him off. Being the oldest of the six sucked balls, especially since almost all of his parts were older than the parts his boyfriends had. It also didn’t help that he got most of his mechanical parts during a time of war when metal had been fairly scarce to begin with. Together, it all meant more malfunctions and, therefore, more visits to Ryan's workshop that Jack had built him a few years ago. He really did appreciate all the work Ryan did for him, though. It seemed unnecessary, sure, but it kept him functioning at an almost-human level, so that was good enough for Geoff.

He just wished things were simple again. He wanted to go back to being a full-human. He obviously didn't have anything against robotic people since he was dating four and worked with dozens of others, but it had been hard for him to adjust to being partially robotic himself. Hell, he was still getting used to it. People like Gavin had it easy, Geoff thought, because they weren't "normal" for eighteen years before suddenly becoming a cyborg. Geoff had also grown up in a time where robotic people were highly discriminated against, going as far as to lead to a second Civil War.

Actually, the second Civil War was the cause of Geoff needing robotic parts in the first place. He had fought on the side of the robots, cyborgs, and AI, but he never would have guessed that he would join that group himself. He figured now that he should be grateful he wasn't killed in the battle, but still. His whole life had been changed. Even now, years later, he still resented the mechanics and doctors who decided to give him a robotic arm instead of sewing him up and leaving him with a stump for an arm.

But back to present time, nobody had brought up Geoff's failing eyes for a few days more. Geoff could tell that Jack was nearly dying to take things into his own hands and force Ryan to fix him already, but Ryan was probably making sure they had the right equipment and parts to properly fix Geoff. They always seemed to run low on eye supplies since five of the six have fake eyes, the only one who didn't being Ryan himself.

Either way, Geoff was less than pleased when Ryan finally approached him less than a week after Geoff first started having problems with his eyes. All of the guys had noticed his eyesight was going, but Geoff was still trying to convince them it was nothing and that it was all fine.

"I'm just in a video game rut," he would say. It seemed logical enough to him. Everyone has those moments after all, even Ray, so it was no big deal. Nobody had even said anything about it until Ray had decided it would be hilarious to tease Geoff during a Let's Play.

"Geoff, you fucking suck. Are you sure you don't need my glasses?" he asked, speaking into the mic but looking back at Geoff with a grin. "They would do you more good than me!"

Geoff chuckled, rubbing his hand over his face. "Nah. That would give everyone else an advantage if you couldn't see. I don't want fucking Gavin to win this round." Gavin squawked in protest and the conversation moved on from there. Geoff mentally gave himself a pat on the back for successfully distracting his boyfriends from his shitty eyesight.

Ryan approached him later that day before they left work. Geoff was pleased to see that Ryan at least looked reluctant to talk to him about his eye problems. Geoff promised he would tell Ryan all about his eye situation when they got home. It always felt weird to talk about his mechanical parts any place other than this own home, even if the Rooster Teeth office was one of the handful of actual safe havens for cyborgs, robots, and AI. Ryan understood Geoff's worries and agreed to talk about it later, giving Geoff a quick peck on the lips before leaving to drive Ray and Gavin home. He trusted that Jack would get Michael and Geoff home safely as well.

True to his word, Geoff met Ryan in his backyard workshop as soon as he got home. The Lads, being as endlessly energetic as they are, would keep Jack company while they prepared dinner. Ryan greeted Geoff and asked him to sit on his "operating table." Geoff called him a psycho but sat down anyway, and Ryan wasted no more time on silly theatrics. Still, every time he had needed work done to his mechanics, Geoff was reminded of when he used to go to the doctor's office.

Ryan went through the usual questions and procedures from all the other times Geoff's eyes had given him problems. Ryan made sure to work as quickly and effectively as always. Thankfully, he was basically a professional at fixing Geoff’s eye problems since he had to do much the same thing this time as he did any other time, so he knew just what to do to make everything as painless as possible. It took them nearly an hour to get the misplaced wires back in place, and by the time they had walked back into the house, their other four boyfriends were just starting to eat. Geoff and Ryan later found out that they had waited almost ten minutes for the two to come inside to eat with them. Geoff was oddly touched.

His "surgery" exhausted him, though. It isn't fun to have your head poked around and eyesight messed with, especially since he had to be awake with his eyes peeled open the entire time. Ryan had needed to make sure that he wasn't messing anything else up while trying to fix it. Geoff knew he wouldn't mess up, but he humored Ryan anyway if only to make him feel better. It was all precaution, and Geoff knew it was easier to just agree to what Ryan wants than argue with him.

So when the six finally crawled into bed that night, Geoff was almost asleep within minutes. The last thing he noticed was Ryan leaning over to kiss his forehead while the rest of the guys said I love you to each other.

Even though Geoff hated to admit he was a cyborg, he wouldn't change how everything had worked out in his favor. He's still not thrilled to have mechanical parts, but it did give him the chance to spend one-on-one time with Ryan. Plus he could relate to his other boyfriends' problems a little better than he would have before. So really, he was thankful in a way.

Besides, his dislike of having mechanical parts wasn’t entirely selfish. Geoff hated making Ryan work overtime after a long day at work. Plus it always upset Jack when anybody had problems with their robotics.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the support, guys! It's awesome and I really wasn't expecting it, gosh!! Again, this is also over on my tumblr at http://parseltongueme.tumblr.com/tagged/Robot_AU

Jack had always considered himself to be one of the most caring of the six in his relationship. He tried to do everything he could to make sure everyone, not just his boyfriends, was happy. He liked to think of himself as the peacemaker of the group. They all have their own roles: Geoff is the chaotic father figure, Ryan is the mad scientist, Michael is basically a Sour Patch Kid, Gavin is the main chaos maker, and Ray is another peacemaker but only when he wants to be. Ray is sometimes just as chaotic as Gavin, usually when he’s with the other Lads. Jack’s role just happened to be to keep the peace.

Don't get him wrong, each of the six cares about all of the others. They all have different ways of showing it, and Jack's way is just the most obvious. The others do small things to show that they care, like Michael knowing exactly how each of his boyfriends likes their coffee in the morning. Other times they do bigger things, like when Ryan makes sure their whole group is functioning with no problems. Jack was sure that other relationships are pretty much the same way. It's hard for all of them at times to show that they care for each other, but they made it work.

Even though Jack knew that everybody pulled their weight equally, he felt like he did more work than the others, excluding Ryan, when it came to making them all happy. He considers it a good day if his boys have a good day and a bad day when his boyfriends are upset. Jack hated how in-tune he was with their emotions sometimes, especially when they're having an off day. It was all because he was an AI too. The people who had made Jack had put a lot more time and effort into the compassion and empathy aspects of his general makeup. Jack was told when he was still being tested that he was literally made for the sole purpose of working in Disney World.

That explains why he has all the patience and compassion to work with kids all day, and his physical build made him perfect for the job since he just looks so cuddly. Jack had liked working at Disney World when he did and still enjoys going whenever he can, but his current job is so much better. He’s basically still working with children anyway. Plus the other Achievement Hunters appreciated him more than the children ever would.

Because let's face it, children are brats sometimes, and when they find out that someone is basically a computer, well... They don't exactly treat that person the same way they would a full-human or even a cyborg. Jack blamed it on the parents. Ever since robots and AI had become regularly "manufactured" and put to work, things haven't been the same.

With more and more robotic people being made, the United States basically hadn’t known what to do with itself at the time. Robots had been around for decades before, even if they weren't as alive as they currently are, but they were used almost exclusively for physical labor and other tedious work that humans just didn’t want to do. All it really ended up being was another scam that companies had come up with to keep from paying so many workers.

Jack thinks that's how the widespread acceptance of robot slavery and servants began. Humans were already used to robots taking care of the dirty work that they didn't want to do. The steady transition to make robots look, and later think, more like humans only deterred a few people from the idea of robot enslavement.

As for what happened when robots became so self-aware, well… People always say that history repeats itself, but they don't really understand how true that is. It had been only a matter of time before Americans accepted enslaving a group of people again. Robots and AI were produced then sold into slavery by the hundreds, and if someone was a cyborg for any reason at all, even against their own volition, then they would be a social outcast or treated like a full-robot by those they had trusted the most. It was a dark period that eventually led to the second American Civil War.

The events of this second war pretty closely mirrored those of the first, and the outcome was the same as well except the President wasn’t shot this time around. The robotic slaves were released from their captivity, making their former owners less than pleased, but life continued on. Following the course of history, robots, AI, and cyborgs still had to fight for basic rights like being paid for working and, well, everything else.

So the war being over didn't necessarily make life safer for someone to be mechanical in any way, shape, or form. They were still treated differently, and it wasn't uncommon for someone to live in secrecy for their whole lives or to constantly hide away a huge part of their lives from everyone for their own safety. Just thinking about it always manages to piss Jack off. He thought that it was stupid that humans had to go through a fucking repeat-war to realize, once again, that slavery is a bad thing. It wasn't fair that some many free-thinking beings had to hide who they were. It made Jack even madder when he remembered how Geoff and Ray were both directly affected by robot slavery, Ray being enslaved by a bar owner and forced to work in bars even after the war was over and Geoff fighting for the rights of robots.

Geoff had risked his life in the war, fighting for the freedom of mechanical people across America, and became partially mechanical as a result. His right arm had been completely blown off. Everything from the elbow down was salvageable, but the nerves had been damaged and needed replaced. His upper right arm was completely mechanical with engineered veins mixing and connecting with his human ones.

The chemicals and gases that had been used during the war had also damaged Geoff’s lungs beyond repair, and the trauma of being in a war and seeing so many deaths as well as his own severed arm had caused him to slip into a bad case of alcoholism that took him years to recover from. But, according to Geoff, his mechanical eyes were completely unrelated to the war. He had tried to keep his boys in the dark about his mechanical parts and why he needed them for as long as possible, but Jack knew within a week of meeting Geoff.

But that didn't stop Geoff from downright refusing help when he actually needed it. It almost always came down to Jack confronting Ryan and demanding that he fix Geoff before it got to be too bad. It's not even just Geoff that Jack has to do this for, although he is the most stubborn. All of his boys drove Jack mad with worry, and he has strained himself to the point where Ryan needed to fix him too more times than he could count (That’s a lie. This had actually happened thirty-six times before Geoff’s most recent issues with his eyes). Sometimes Jack really hated having such a large and sensitive compassion function, especially when it would overpower his other functions like it so often did. Ryan had learned to be prepared to fix Jack within a day of helping one of their other boyfriends.

So Ryan wasn't at all surprised when Jack pulled him to the side early on the morning after Ryan had fixed Geoff's eyes. After days of endless and basically needless worrying, Jack was bound to have shorted out something with his fretting, and judging by the bashful shrug he gave when Ryan asked what was wrong, Ryan figured his speech function was gone this time around. Ryan smiled and shook his head, not saying anything as he wrote a note for the others to read when they woke up. He just mentioned where he and Jack would be and to go to work without them. He then grabbed Jack's hand and led him to the workshop.

Jack had always appreciated when he and Ryan could work or walk or simply just be together in silence. They were both so used to the constant chaos and noise of the other Achievement Hunters, and quiet moments were few and far between when all six of them were together and awake. They didn't mind the noise of course, but they still took any chance they could to be alone together for some much needed peace and quiet. Even though Jack hated to bother Ryan, the few minutes alone to fix Jack's functions were always a blessing in disguise.

Ryan worked quietly and efficiently, humming occasionally while Jack listened in his forced half-asleep state. He could never go through an operation being completely awake, so he almost always forced himself to shut down at least half way. He kept his drooped eyes trained to the ceiling so he could look at the constellations made out of glow-in-the-dark stars that Gavin and insisted they put up there.

Gavin was always coming up with silly things like that to make Ryan's workshop more comfortable. He even decorated the place for different seasons and holidays. Ray had practically jumped on the opportunity to join Gavin by making sure there was always at least one fresh rose in the workshop. But thinking about such heartwarming things like that would only reverse the work Ryan was doing. Jack was content to mindlessly gaze at the plastic stars while lying there and listening to Ryan hum while he worked anyway.

Thankfully it had almost never taken as long to fix an AI's mechanical problem as it did to fix the same problem in a cyborg or robot. Or maybe it just didn't take long to fix any problem Jack had since Jack tried to be the best “patient” Ryan could have. After all, Michael, one of the only other AI Ryan had ever worked on, was a completely different story. Ryan had always said that he liked working on Jack better. Jack was so much easier and made Ryan more relaxed since he never had to worry about Jack waking up and throwing a fit mid-operation or needing replacement parts. Ryan loved and cared for Michael all the same; he just wished all his boyfriends were as easy to work with as Jack. Maybe if they were all more like him, then Ryan wouldn't have to spend so many hours in his workshop, but he did what he had to anyway.

Ryan asked Jack to say something after thirty minutes of work, which was the first thing he had said since they left the main house. Jack tried his hardest to speak, but what came out was gravelly and low and not just from lack of use. He smiled an apology to Ryan, who told him it was nothing to worry about before getting back to work. All it took was a few tweaks here and there to get everything in its proper place again, and Jack was speaking normally in no time.

Jack sat up and thanked Ryan when they were all done and ready to get to work. They wouldn't be too late, not that their boss would care either way. They walked hand-in-hand to the car, and then they rode all the way to the office in silence. Just because Jack could speak again didn't mean he would give up the quiet before what was sure to be a hectic day at work followed by a flustered evening at home. Michael did have to record a new Rage Quit, after all. Ryan and Jack just hoped he wouldn't break anything again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not having this out sooner, but I slept in really late today.. Oops! As always, you can also read this over at http://parseltongueme.tumblr.com/tagged/Robot_AU

Michael had no idea he was an AI. As far as he knew, he was just a regular human like Ryan. He had memories of his family and childhood back in Jersey, and he wasn't exceptionally smart like Jack was. All his intelligence had to be learned, and he knew that none of it was artificial. He never doubted his supposed humanness because he had no reason to.

When Michael's boyfriends first found out that Michael honestly had no idea he wasn't human, Gavin figured he must be a pretty dumb AI. Ryan knew that wasn't it, though. Everything about Michael was relatively new, Ryan had found out during his first work session on Michael. He was practically still a child in robot and AI years. But if he was so young, then why didn't Michael know he wasn't human?

The only thing Ryan could come up with was that the people who had built Michael didn't want him to know for whatever reason, so they excluded that bit of information. They must have planted fake memories in his brain and never let on that he could be anything other than human. Ryan had thought for a while that they might have done that because of the war that ended just a few years prior to Michael being built. They must have not wanted Michael to know just in case he would face discrimination. It was smart thinking at the time, but it made things a lot harder for Ryan and the rest of the Achievement Hunters.

Jack agreed with Ryan that Michael's programmed ignorance had something to do with the war. Ray came up with the elaborate idea that Michael's "parents" couldn't have more children and built one to make up for it, but they were actually racist against mechanical people and didn't want a son who knew he wasn't human. Geoff didn't really care why Michael didn't know, but now he wants more than the others to tell Michael. Gavin thought Michael just had something wrong with the wiring in his brain. But whatever the reason for his ignorance was, they all thought Michael deserved to know. It was his life, after all.

So when it came time for Michael to record his next Rage Quit, the others cleared the room and immediately started talking about how one of them should tell him soon. Ray pressed his finger to his nose and said, "Nose goes." Gavin was the only one to follow Ray's lead, and he nearly punched himself in the nose in his hurry. The Gents just sighed, shook their heads at the younger two, and decided they might as well take their lunch break now. They would bring something back for Michael.

They kept talking about his less than humanness during lunch, Geoff nearly demanding that someone tell Michael when they get back to the office. He threatened to fire them if someone didn't step up, but they all knew he was bluffing on that part. Even though they all wanted Michael to know, Jack was the most hesitant. He would have figured Geoff would be the most hesitant since he had had his "normal" life ripped away from him. Jack could only imagine what it would be like for someone to find out after apparently twenty-something years of thinking they're human that they aren't. He knew it would really fuck with Michael if they just sprung that on him and had to keep telling himself that Michael deserved to know what he was.

They all hoped Michael would stay relatively calm while he recorded Rage Quit. Ryan was used to having to fix two of his boys in the same amount of days, but it starts taking its toll on him when he has to do more than that in less time. He would still help them whenever they needed, but he was only human. He didn't have the benefits of a robotic mechanic like Caleb, who didn’t have to get fatigued if he didn’t want to, but his boys almost always refused to let anybody other than Ryan fix them—the odd exception being Dan whenever Gavin would malfunction in England.

Eventually the five of them all agreed that Ryan should tell Michael if he malfunctioned from the new Rage Quit. The others would be there for support and to handle any possible backlash from Michael, they had assured Ryan. Ryan still wasn't looking forward to it, especially since he knew he would almost definitely have to. Michael's tension was high enough to begin with considering the combined stress of Geoff and Jack needing worked on as well as Gavin preparing to go back to England soon. These times were always the hardest on Michael and usually resulted in an entertaining Rage Quit for the audience at the cost of a malfunction.

The six headed back to the office together not long after getting their food, none of them wanting Michael to violently malfunction or start breaking things. The building was silent in the absence of Michael's screaming when they got back. Barbara had her head poked out of her office, looking around worriedly and probably wondering if she should find one of the company mechanics to help. When she saw the five Achievement Hunters standing there, she sighed and told them that it was a rough recording session. She then weakly joked that Ryan would have to repair her own eardrums after he finished with Michael. Ryan just sighed and shook his head, all of them except Barbara walking into the Achievement Hunter office to inspect the damage.

Ryan honestly thought it would look worse in there. He had expected a broken monitor or console at the least and a completely trashed office at most, but what they found surprised him and the others. Michael was sitting in the middle of the room with pieces of a now broken Xbox controller scattered around him, the only obvious damage. Michael didn't look so bad either, physically speaking. It looked almost like he had sat on the ground and just powered off, but they all knew better. Ryan approached him first, Geoff following closely behind.

When he stopped and knelt down next to Michael, Ryan found that he had, in fact, malfunctioned, forcing himself to shut down. He didn't look like he would wake up any time soon, so Geoff sighed and backed up to give Ryan room. Even though he was most in favor of telling Michael, he hadn't wanted Michael to learn the truth now. It would only stress Ryan out even more. Geoff decided he would make Ryan all of his favorite mixed drinks when they got home and let him take tomorrow off if he wanted to. It was the least he could do without having all six of them go on vacation.

Ryan looked back at Geoff and shrugged, already knowing how bad his boys felt for making him do this. He reminded himself that everyone would be there for him when he broke the news to Michael, and with that in mind, Ryan scooped Michael into his arms and carried him to the company workshop. Gavin and Ray followed closely behind while Jack stayed back with Geoff for a few minutes to talk about Ryan’s stress levels. Ryan told the two Lads that they wouldn't want to be there for the actual operation, but they protested until Ryan promised he would get them before he woke Michael up again. Caleb still had to force them out of the room, though.

To calm their nerves while Ryan worked, Gavin convinced Ray to drag as many people into a game of tag as they could. Ryan had always told Gavin that physical exercise would keep his mostly mechanical brain from working too hard and breaking. Ray agreed just for the sake of keeping Gavin from malfunctioning, and Geoff and Jack watched the two run around with other company members who probably had better things to do but needed a break anyway. At least it kept the younger two Lads from actively worrying about Michael.

Gavin's stamina depleted until he could barely run anymore, and he collapsed onto the floor at Geoff's feet, Ray choosing to sit on the arm of Jack's chair. Not long after, Ryan came out of the workshop, wiping his hands on a stained rag. He told them that Michael was just a step away from being fixed, so they might as well come in for the big reveal. Gavin scrambled to his feet with suddenly renewed energy and immediately ran into the workshop, everyone following him to the work table with Ryan trailing behind. He could tell that they were all as nervous as he was, but he still tried to seem the most collected and calm of them all. After all, if Michael was going to believe him, he would have to sound confident in what he was saying.

He walked over to where Michael was sat and nodded to the rest of the guys. No going back after this, he told himself. Ryan closed everything up and entered the wake-up command, stepping away from Michael, who slowly opened his eyes. Confusion immediately took over his features as he looked around. He had, to his knowledge, only been in the Rooster Teeth workshop a few times before, and he had never taken a nap on one of the work tables.

He looked at Ryan, who had placed his hand on top of his head, and asked, "What the hell's going on here, Ryan?”

Ryan sighed, ruffled Michael’s hair, and looked over at Geoff for encouragement. All Geoff offered him was a small nod, but it gave Ryan enough courage to reply to Michael. "There's something I—we—want to tell you, Michael." At Michael's worried look, Ryan clarified by saying, "Now, it's nothing bad, really."

"Just get on with it," Michael snapped. He was starting to get defensive and refused to look at any of his boys. He didn't care what Ryan said because he knew this had to be something bad if they were all here for something.

Ryan removed his hand from Michael's head and sat next to him on the table, holding his hand out to Michael if he wanted to take it. "You're not exactly human," he said slowly as Michael snatched up his offered hand. "You're actually an AI, but the people who made you never programmed that bit of knowledge into your brain."

Gavin came over and sat on Michael's other side, wrapping his own arm around Michael's and laying his head on his shoulder. "That's why you always win when we wrestle. You’ve got robot strength and an unfair advantage."

"And you were the first one to notice when I started having issues with my eyes."

"Not to mention all the other shit you know," Ray added.

Michael just shook his head slowly, looking around at his boyfriends and the workshop they were all in. "No," he eventually said. "No, I would know if I was an AI. Real funny joke guys, but I'm human."

Jack and Ryan exchanged a quick look of pity before Ryan turned back to Michael. "I can prove it to you if you want."

Daring him to try, Michael agreed and shook Gavin off his arm. Ryan told the others they might want to look away before he instructed Michael to lie down and relax. One of the things Ryan had always liked about Michael's design was the multiple almost imperceptible flaps of skin covering the bases of most of his major organs. Ryan liked to call them the motherboards of Michael's system. One such motherboard was on Michael's stomach, so Ryan pushed Michael's shirt up a little to access it.

He put his hand over the skin and warned Michael it shouldn't hurt but to stop him if it does. Michael nodded and resisted the urge to roll his eyes, thinking this was all stupid and still not believing he was anything other than human. He was shocked and horrified when he watched Ryan peel back some skin covering his stomach to reveal a maze of wires and circuits. He couldn't deny it now without saying this was all a dream, and he knew there was no use trying to say that with the proof staring him right in the face.

Soon enough, Ryan had Michael all closed up again, looking at him nervously. He could tell that Michael finally believed him, but now they had to see how he would react to the news. Michael seemed pretty out of it and hardly reacted when Ryan tried to get his attention. They decided to wait it out and let Michael sit there and think for a while. It really was a lot to take in, but they hoped he wouldn't try to close himself off.

Michael silently thought for nearly ten minutes before he finally said something. He had thought about the wires, his boyfriends, the other mechanical people at the company, and his oddly-timed "black outs" that he now knows were malfunctions. But most of all, he thought about the childhood he had thought he had had. That was what tripped him up the most. If he was an AI, then why did he have such human memories? Why could he remember a childhood he had never actually had? It made no sense to him, and he didn't like it.

He pretended none of that bothered him and said, "Well, why didn't you tell me sooner? I could be missing out on a whole world of robot-related kinks here! What the hell." He figured it was best to act like everything was fine and deal with his questionable past at a later date, preferably when he was alone.

Ray barked out a laugh, him and Gavin launching themselves on top of Michael. Gavin whispered something about wire-play that made all three of them laugh. Ryan protested loudly, saying that nobody would be playing with anybody else’s wires except for him. Everyone was happy, a weight lifted off their shoulders now that they thought Michael was fine with the news of his roboticness.

But Michael couldn't stop wondering why he had all these false memories that just seemed so real. For now he would have to push that to the back of his mind and come back to it at a later date.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know if I seriously messed anything up in this chapter!! I'm pretty sick right now, and I might have missed something when editing.... You can also read this over at http://parseltongueme.tumblr.com/tagged/Robot_AU

Ray tried unsuccessfully to block out the noise of his fellow Achievement Hunters. Four of them were filming a Let's Play with Gavin opting to sit out to try to sabotage Geoff and Ryan from behind the scenes. Judging from the loud cursing from Geoff and the laughter from Michael and Gavin, whatever Gavin was doing was working. Jack thought it was pretty funny too but still tried to keep everything as fair as possible. Michael was easily playing the best thanks to Gavin’s sabotaging.

Ray himself was busy trying to do an Achievement Guide. He normally wouldn't have minded the noise and chaos of his boyfriends, but it had been a stressful week for all of them what with how Geoff, Jack, and Michael had all needed Ryan to fix them. Thing were relatively quiet for pretty much the whole day after Michael's operation, but they all could tell it was just a matter of time before their collective bad luck struck again.

But at least it was Thursday, so the week was almost over. They would all be able to relax and blow off some steam over the weekend, and Ray thought that they were due for a nice, long movie marathon. Nobody could break something or malfunction if they just sat around watching movies and shit. Plus, Gavin and Jack always get extra cuddly during movie marathons, so really it's a win-win situation. All they had to do was make it through the rest of this day and the next without any problems.

Ray sighed loudly as he failed to get the achievement once again and looked at the clock on his computer. He had less than an hour before they would go home, meaning Ray only had that long to get this achievement. He hated staying at work after-hours, mostly because he can't drive and their house is too far away to walk. He could always just catch a ride with someone else who stayed late, but he knew he could totally get this achievement within the hour. He's just not trying hard enough or actually focusing on what he's doing. He had his boyfriends to blame for his lack of focus. If they were just a little quieter and if Gavin was a little less mischievous, then this wouldn't be a problem at all.

As it is, though, his boyfriends wouldn't quiet down, and Gavin wouldn't stop messing with them. Ray supposed that would make for a good video later, but it still made his own job so much harder. This achievement wasn't even supposed to be that hard to get, yet here he was, still struggling to get it. Ray cursed to himself as he messed it up again, leaning back in his seat in frustration. He almost never has problems like this, so it was especially irritating the few times he did have an issue getting an achievement.

His extra-keen senses and fast hand movements usually made video games so much easier. It was times like these, though, when his coworkers and boyfriends were being exceptionally loud and distracting, that Ray wished he could just turn off his ears like some other robots and AI can. It's tough being an older robot, Ray thought to himself as he cracked his stiff knuckles. If he wasn't careful, then he could end up on Ryan's operating table next. It wouldn't be the first time that trying to get an achievement landed Ray with broken hands. He checked the time again and groaned, deciding he didn't have enough time to take a break to rest his hands, no matter how short it would be.

He turned his full attention back to his game, turning the volume on his headphones up even louder in a desperate attempt to block out any noise not coming from his video game. It worked for the most part, but Michael's cackling, Geoff's surprised screaming, and Gavin's squawking still all occasionally slipped through. This never failed to startle Ray and cause him to fuck up miraculously, and each screw up was always followed immediately with a sigh or groan.

He was running out of time, and he kept getting so close too. It wouldn't be long until Ray would have to leave. Or his hands might even break before that, leaving him unable to even try for the achievement again. He couldn't deny the growing pain in his hands that he only ever felt before the strain got to be too much for his joints to take anymore.

He really didn't want to break his hands getting this achievement, but he couldn't just give up when he was so close either. But the added stress it would cause Ryan wouldn't even be worth the shitty achievement and accompanying video. He could always just try again the next day and make sure he rests his hands enough before sitting down to record. That would be the smart thing to do.

Ray glanced back at his boys, who were just starting to put away the recording equipment, and decided he still had a good couple of minutes before they would be ready to go home. In his mind, it would be a waste of time to not go for the achievement a few more times. He probably wouldn’t get it, sure, but he had to try again or else he would feel like he didn't use all his time to the fullest. He turned back around and popped his knuckles one more time before he went to work again, more determined now than he had been all day. But with this new determination, he ended up throwing caution to the wind and managed to completely forget about the pain in his hands.

After four more attempts, Ray heard Geoff call his name, “Hey, Ray. We’re ready to head out whenever you are, but no rush or anything.”

Ray nodded and told them that he would be ready in just a few minutes. "One more try," he said. "I almost got it the last time." Geoff nodded and sat down on the arm of Ryan's couch. He and the others watched Ray go through the process of getting this achievement, none of them looking at all worried except for Ryan. None of them except for Ryan quite knew the consequences of Ray struggling to get an achievement.

He could tell that Ray was pushing his limits. Ray’s fingers were a little slower and clumsier than their usual quick precision, and he knew that even if Ray had stopped trying ten minutes ago while the rest of them were putting away mics, then his hands would still be sore and need some oil for the joints at least. Ryan was really torn over whether or not he wanted Ray to get the achievement now.

If he did get the achievement, then Ray would celebrate, probably by throwing his hands up in the air and knocking something over with his slowed reflexes. Then there would be a mess for someone to clean up on top of Ray’s hurt hands. But if Ray didn't get it now, then he would be right back at it tomorrow, even more frustrated and likely to damage his hands worse. This was all a lose-lose situation, and Ryan could only hope for the best.

So when Ray finally managed to get the achievement against all odds, Ryan couldn't decide if he was happy for his boyfriend or already exhausted from the extra work he knew he would have to put in when they got home. Ray managed to not knock anything over in his celebration, but he had run out of adrenalin, which seemed to be the only thing that had kept his fingers moving in the first place. Now that he had his achievement, his fingers stiffened further until he was hardly even able to show the details of the achievement. The other Achievement Hunters congratulated Ray, but Ryan went over to close out of his game and recording for him, first taking the Xbox controller from his hands.

For what it was worth, Ray at least knew what he had done and tried to help as much as he could, although it wasn't much. He had hoped this wouldn’t happen now and apologized to Ryan quietly, trying unsuccessfully to stretch his fingers out. He could tell that the damage he did was neither as bad as it could have been nor as bad as it has been in the past, but it would still be a hassle for Ryan to have to deal with. Maybe he could convince Ryan that he just needed his joints oiled, but that wasn't very likely to work. He was a mechanic after all. Eventually the two were able to save Ray's work and close out of all the programs before everyone headed out to their cars to go home.

Jack insisted on driving Ryan and Ray home, leaving Geoff to drive Michael and Gavin. He reasoned that this way Ryan could do a preliminary inspection on the damage done to Ray's hands. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do much to help while they were in the car instead of a workshop, so the real examination would have to wait until they got home. In the meantime, Ryan could say he was just examining Ray's hands as an excuse for holding hands, not that he even needed an excuse for that. Ray didn't question it anyway, choosing instead to smile at Ryan sheepishly.

Ryan and Ray went straight to the workshop when they got home, not needing to explain to the others what they were doing. They both hoped that it wouldn't take very long to fix whatever went wrong. Ryan was too tired for any long operations, but he would work for as long as he needed to in order to fix Ray. After some poking and prodding, Ryan found that he really couldn't do much to help even now that they were in a workshop with proper equipment. Some of the wires were just a little loose, so he put those back in place and screwed the bolts a little tighter in an attempt to keep Ray from having hand problems again, but that was pretty much all.

At least the whole deal didn't take more than twenty minutes, Ryan thought to himself as he added a few soothing drops of oil to each of Ray's fingers. "How do they feel?" he asked as he wiped off the excess oil from Ray’s hands.

Ray grinned and jumped down from Ryan's operating table. “Better than ever!" he exclaimed. Even with his confident tone, Ryan still wasn't so sure Ray's hands were completely fine, and he told him that.

“Well, your hands will probably still be sore in the morning. Try to take it easy for the rest of the night, yeah?”

“Chill out, Rye Bread. I’m fine. Let’s go back to the others,” he said, grabbing Ryan’s hand in his own and tugging him towards the workshop door.

Ryan voiced his doubts about Ray’s hands a few more times throughout the night, and each time Ray would do one of three things: flick him off, flash him a peace sign, or mime jerking off. By the end of the night, Ryan was convinced he was fine, but he still found himself exhausted from the worry and extra operation. His boys really needed to stop getting so hurt and being so reckless. It was driving him crazy. They've been over this before, and no matter how many times one of them offered to suck Ryan off to “relieve some stress,” he would refuse and say he just needed some sleep.

It came as no surprise to anyone when Ryan went to bed an hour earlier than the rest of the guys that night. They found him sprawled out on his back on the side of the bed closest to the door, still wearing what he had worn to work. Gavin was sure that Ryan would have fallen asleep with his shoes on if he hadn't taken those off when he and Ray came in from the workshop.

The five talked about waking him to get him into comfier clothes but eventually decided against it. Ryan needed every minute of sleep he could get, and if they woke him up, then they risked triggering his insomnia. It just wouldn't be worth it. They did, however, manage to scoot him to the middle of their bed so they could all cuddle with him. Ray practically curled up on top of his chest. Ryan even slept through their alarm the next morning, and they let him have those few moments to himself before they would have to wake him up.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter left, guys! Are you as excited as I am??? Hey, if you like this here, maybe you'll wanna go give it some notes over on tumblr?? http://parseltongueme.tumblr.com/tagged/Robot_AU

Gavin could not quiet down for the life of him. All day he had been jumping around and screaming. He was so hyper and loud, and Michael and Ray really weren't helping to keep him quiet. They were having their "Lads Time" in the "playroom," which is exactly what it sounds like—a room for the Lads to fuck around in and not bother the Gents. They kept a few gaming consoles and a couch in there, but they had also filled the room with pillows and blankets to build forts with since they never actually grew out of that stage of life. The only downside to that was that they were usually louder in the fort than when just playing video games.

They also would never make the forts themselves. This time they had pulled Jack in to build the fort for them while Michael and Ray tried to keep Gavin from ruining Jack's progress. It took two wrestling matches and one threat of being kicked out of Team Lads before Jack was finally free to leave them and their nonsense. He had found Geoff and Ryan immediately after to warn them of the fort session, but they could already hear the ruckus coming from the basement.

None of the Gents had any idea how Michael, Gavin, and Ray could make so much noise in a fort filled with pillows and other soft objects, but it reminded Geoff of that one SpongeBob episode where SpongeBob and Patrick make a shit ton of noise in a completely empty cardboard box. It was dumb, but he supposed that's what child-like imagination does to a person. At least the Lads' playroom was in the basement, and the Gents could get away from the noise by going outside or upstairs. But even though they were now upstairs in their bedroom and had a movie on, they could still hear the Lads.

The Lads really couldn't help the noise. They were just having such a fun time sitting in different corners of the fort and playing Pokémon on their 3DS’s. They would go back and forth, battling each other or trading Pokémon to fill up their individual Pokédexes. It was a good little system for all of about fifteen minutes before Gavin sent Michael the wrong Pokémon and tried to insist it was the right one. Michael was upset to say the least. He screamed Gavin's name before launching himself across the fort and tackling Gavin, who yelled in surprise. He was knocked back with so much force that he ended up caving in his side of the fort, which resulted in the rest of the fort collapsing too.

Ray, who hadn't cared enough to look up from his link battle, was surprised when he was suddenly covered by the roof of their fort. "Oh, what the fuck!" he exclaimed, trying to throw the blankets off himself.

Gavin continued to flail with Michael wrestling him down. Both of them yelled at each other, the words all jumbling together, but Ray understood it had something to do with the trade Gavin and Michael had been in the middle of. He also knew that they were making a tangled mess and preventing Ray from getting to his own freedom.

Confused and unable to free himself, Ray started yelling along with Gavin and Michael. He was mostly trying to get them to stop moving around, but he couldn't deny the urge to add even more chaos to the already hectic situation. Eventually the three managed to settle down enough to stop screaming, but they all continued to wrestle with the blankets and each other. Gavin asked why they needed so many "stupid bloody blankets" in the first place, Michael telling him to shut the fuck up and stop moving around so much.

Having been closest to the original opening to the fort, Ray freed himself first and stood in triumph before the tangled mass of blankets that Gavin and Michael were still stuck inside of. He could see that the two were close to freeing themselves, but he couldn't stop from trying to get them even more caught and tangled. He knew that Gavin at least wouldn’t catch on, and it would be funny to see Michael's frustration when they finally got out. Hey, as long as Michael didn't find out he was misguiding them, then Ray could do whatever he wanted.

So when Gavin said, "Help us, X-Ray! We need you," Ray just couldn't pass up the opportunity. He started giving them directions that would just get them farther away from the opening, barely keeping in his laughter.

It didn't take long for Michael to catch on and realize they were basically going in zigzags. "Ray!" he eventually yelled. "Get us out of this mess before I punch your dick off."

Ray burst out laughing but actually started helping his boyfriends after that, and when Gavin and Michael emerged a few minutes later, all three of them were red in the face—Ray from laughing, Michael from frustration, and Gavin because it was hot as hell being trapped under all those blankets. 

Michael picked up one of the pillows and hit Gavin over the head with it, saying, "That's for sending me the wrong Pokémon."

Gavin complained loudly about Michael doing the same to him, but Michael was too busy hitting Ray with the pillow to listen. "What did I do?" Ray asked through his slowly dying laughter.

"That's for giving me shitty directions to get out of there." Ray just shrugged it off and continued to grin. It was always fun to irritate Michael a little bit every now and again.

Looking down at the ruined remains of the fort, Gavin pouted and asked what they should do about the mess. Ray shrugged, and Michael told Gavin it was all his fault anyway for being an asshole, which got another complaint. Gavin didn't let Michael's comment bother him too much, though, and was focused on the fort again within seconds. He decided he would just go find Jack and make him rebuild the fort, telling Michael and Ray that before leaving to go upstairs.

He found all of the Gents in their second-story bedroom, cuddled together on the bed and watching a movie. He bounded over to them and flopped over their laps, whining loudly for attention. Geoff muttered something about Gavin being too much like a pet for his own good, and Ryan agreed by saying he should live outside. Jack laughed and patted Gavin's head, which was conveniently being nuzzled into his leg. He jokingly asked if Gavin was really kicked out of Team Lads again. Gavin said he was almost kicked out but that more important matters were at hand.

Jack nearly punched Gavin when he said they needed him to rebuild their fort. Although he didn't punch him, he did join Ryan and Geoff in pushing Gavin off their laps. He agreed to rebuild the fort only if Gavin promised to not knock it down or try to fuck it up in any way. Gavin promised, and they went back to the basement where Ray and Michael were horribly attempting to get the fort standing again.

The two backed off when they saw Jack with Gavin, instead choosing to cuddle on the couch and watch Jack work. Gavin kept his promise and didn't mess with Jack while he built a new fort, instead trying to convince Michael and Ray to let him join in the cuddles. When they denied him, he pouted and went on about how that was the second time in ten minutes that he had been denied cuddles.

He wouldn't stop talking about it until Jack had finished the new fort. He then thanked Jack and kissed his cheek before diving back into the fort with his 3DS. Michael and Ray shook their heads at Gavin's antics and followed him into their fort.

"You know," Gavin started once they were all settled back into their corners, "for as many Achievement Guides as you make, you sure aren't a very good guide, Ray."

"Hey, I'm called 'Good-Guy Ray,' not 'Good-Guide Ray' for a reason."

Meanwhile, Jack, Ryan, and Geoff were talking about the Lads, specifically about Gavin. Obviously they had all noticed how loud Gavin had been practically all day, but Jack didn't think he was doing it on purpose. Maybe he just didn't know how loud he was being. It happens to everyone… Kind of. But usually they eventually notice. Gavin seemed completely oblivious, and Jack was honestly kind of worried.

Then again, Jack is always worried about all of his boyfriends, Gavin especially. None of them ever knew when Gavin was really having problems or just being obnoxious. Something about this situation just didn't settle right with Jack, and Geoff and Ryan agreed. Ryan was more hesitant than the others, but only because it was so hard to pinpoint where Gavin’s problems come from and just what causes them. At least they had gone almost three whole days since their last robotics-related injury.

After the movie had ended, Ryan reluctantly agreed to check on Gavin. He realized as he walked down the stairs that if he has to fix Gavin, then he'll have worked on them all in just seven days. It could be worse, though. He could be a full-time mechanic like he used to want. Then again, it's a completely different experience working on strangers instead of boyfriends. Ryan always had been more comfortable fixing strangers, but no fucking way would he let anybody else try to fix his boys. Caleb and Dan were the only exceptions, but none of his boyfriends really wanted to be fixed by anyone else anyway, so it worked out.

Ryan shook his head, smiling from the knowledge of how much his boyfriends trust him. Sometimes Ryan did wish one of the others was a mechanic, but they worked with it. Besides, he was pretty sure none of his boys would break again anytime soon since he just fixed them all, but he wouldn't hold his breath because he never knew when roughhousing could go a little too far.

Speaking of roughhousing, he could hear the Lads laughing about something before he even got to the basement door. He sighed and walked down the stairs to get Gavin. Thankfully, the fort was still standing. Unfortunately, Gavin was yelling something about made-up words, and what he was saying didn't really make any sense. It was like he was reading from a scrambled up teleprompter, stopping himself after a while and asking just what the hell he was saying.

Ryan ignored the "Lads Only! No Gents Allowed!" sign they had taped near the opening and entered the fort anyway, having to crawl in on his hands and knees. Michael was the first to notice, followed by Ray then Gavin a few moments after that. Gavin told Ryan that he wasn't allowed in, and Michael agreed, calling Ryan an "old fart." Ray asked what Ryan was doing there, and Ryan said he wanted to talk to Gavin for a bit.

Even though he thought it was a little odd, Gavin went with him anyway, holding Ryan's hand once they got up the stairs and swinging their arms together. He happily asked what Ryan wanted to talk about, but Ryan said that he'll see as he led them outside. Gavin slowed his walk and gripped Ryan's hand tighter when he noticed they were heading in the direction of the workshop.

"Ryan, what are we going to that shack for?" He slowed down further until they might as well have stopped. He hated going to Ryan's workshop. It reminded him too much of going to the doctor's office, and he had never liked finding out when things were wrong with him. He always tried to keep out of the workshop unless he was decorating it to be more homely and comfortable.

Ryan tugged on Gavin's hand to start walking again. "I just want to check something. You've been a little louder than usual today, and we need to check if everything is still good up there."

Gavin hesitantly started walking again, his grip on Ryan's hand tightening. "I didn't think I was being that loud," he muttered, deliberately speaking lower and quieter.

"I know," Ryan replied quietly. "That's why I'm doing this now. I'm just going to take care of what's wrong, if anything is even wrong. You could be all right for all I know." He opened the door for Gavin, letting go of his hand and telling him he could go ahead and take a seat.

Doing what he was told, Gavin sighed and immediately started jiggling his leg once he sat down. He was not looking forward to this. He couldn't even go to sleep since this was probably a brain problem. Gavin still had way too much human brain for Ryan to feel comfortable putting him to sleep while working on the mechanical parts.

If Gavin would have known knocking his head around would mean a majority of his brain would need replaced, then he wouldn't have been so reckless as a child. Or maybe he wouldn't have gotten so shit-faced all those times. Actually, nothing would have changed at all if he would have known he would need mechanical parts added to his brain. He probably would have thought it wouldn't happen to him no matter what.

But it did happen, and now he's here, sitting on Ryan's operating table and getting his mostly mechanical brain poked and prodded. Wait, when did Ryan get his head open and start messing with his brain? Had Gavin really spaced out that heavily? He did have a tendency to space out and focus on only one thing, blocking out practically everything else in the process. Unfortunately, he couldn't space out again once he realized he was being operated on. Ryan had strapped him down, another thing Gavin failed to notice sooner, so he couldn't squirm and fuck up whatever progress Ryan was making.

It felt like hours before Ryan said that they were done. Ryan and Gavin had talked all through the operation, but it still seemed to drag on and on. At least Ryan was sure he fixed whatever had been wrong after a few more minutes of questions and talking.

Gavin hopped off the table and gave Ryan a thank-you kiss before heading back into the main house. He muttered something about getting Michael and Ray to nap with him in the fort. Ryan stayed back to clean up his work area, mostly because he needed some time to himself after the week he had had. Unfortunately, he wouldn't even get the next day to himself because it would be Monday, and they have work to do.

Ryan sighed heavily and sat down on his operating table. He didn't even want to think about what the next day could possibly bring.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I'm already posting the last chapter of this, wow. It's been an adventure, and I hope you have all enjoyed this! One again this is also posted over at http://parseltongueme.tumblr.com/tagged/Robot_AU and now you can even look at a cute graphic that tumblr user speaksarcastically made!! Thank you all so much for reading this <3

Somehow it had gotten to be dinner time, and Ryan still wasn't back inside. Jack and Geoff thought they had heard Gavin come in nearly two hours ago. They had figured Ryan was with him, but after a few minutes of waiting for Ryan to come back up to their bedroom, they had changed that thought. At the time they had believed that Ryan was just cleaning things up or something. Now, though, with dinner cooking in the oven and the Lads finally out of the basement, none of them knew what could have taken him so long to come inside and not be all alone in that shack.

The five talked about what could have taken Ryan so long to come inside, but they were still puzzled over the whole situation. They couldn’t come up with a logical explanation as to why Ryan wasn’t inside yet. He probably needed his space for a while, but he didn’t really have much to do in the workshop if he wasn’t cleaning or taking inventory of everything he had. Jack eventually volunteered to go check on Ryan and bring him back for dinner.

When he opened the door to the workshop, Jack found Ryan asleep on his own operating table, but he looked more like he had passed out from exhaustion than just fallen asleep. Jack sighed sadly and walked over to Ryan. He knew that Ryan had done a lot more than usual for them this week, but he didn't think it would get to this point—Ryan passing out like this. He briefly thought about waking Ryan up but ultimately decided against it since Ryan obviously needed his sleep. Then again, Jack didn't know if he would be able to carry Ryan all the way up to their bedroom on his own.

He sat down on the operating table, slowly running his fingers through Ryan’s hair and thinking. He already knew he couldn't wake Ryan up or leave him in the workshop until he woke up on his own, so Jack tried to come up with other ways to get Ryan to a proper bed. He could get Geoff or Michael to help carry him, or he could fight away any weakness and just do it all himself. But Jack knew that neither of those options was really a very good idea. Both risked waking Ryan up, and nobody would want that after the week they had put Ryan through.

It took Jack a few minutes to remember that they had a spare bedroom on the ground floor of their house. He wouldn't need any help with getting Ryan there other than someone opening the doors for them, and it had a queen-sized bed. One of the others could easily stay with Ryan so he wasn’t alone if they wanted to. Jack nodded to himself, proud that he remembered the extra bedroom, and hopped off the table to pick Ryan up and carry him back into the house.

Ray had been waiting at the backdoor ever since Jack left to check on Ryan, watching for the two to emerge from the workshop. He was upset to see Ryan held in Jack's arms and immediately left to tell the others. The four of them were crowded around the back door mere seconds later, and their minds had, of course, jumped to the worst possible conclusions as to why Jack was carrying Ryan. Michael opened the back door when Jack got close, and they were all questioning Jack a moment later.

All Jack did in response was shush them and walk inside, heading for the spare bedroom. The others followed him, still asking him questions but in softer tones now. Jack told them that he would explain everything later and that Ryan was only sleeping. Geoff and Michael accepted that answer and went back to the kitchen to continue cooking their dinner. Gavin and Ray stayed with Jack to make sure he didn't need any help, not that they would have been able to help much anyway, but Jack appreciated their concern.

Jack laid Ryan down on the bed and told Ray and Gavin not to mess with Ryan while he slept. Gavin promised to be good, and Ray said that Jack wouldn't have to worry about him disturbing Ryan since he would be leaving the room as well. With Jack and Ray gone, it was just Gavin and Ryan. Gavin felt bad for Ryan, honestly, because of all of the extra work he would always put in to keep his boyfriends functioning. He especially felt bad now that Ryan had driven himself to this level of exhaustion by fixing everyone in the span of only a week, the last of the operations being on Gavin himself.

Gavin really hadn't even thought he had needed any work done, but apparently he did. Now he felt genuinely guilty about making Ryan fix him, so he stayed with Ryan to keep him company, even if he was asleep. He figured the least he could do was to be there when Ryan woke up. Gavin crawled into the bed and curled up into Ryan's side after closing the door. He was determined to stay there until Ryan woke up or until one of the others came in and took his place. He wasn't leaving Ryan all alone when he needed his boyfriends.

So he started quietly talking to Ryan so he wouldn’t wake him up. He apologized a few times for malfunctioning for no reason. He also talked about the new ideas he had come up with to spruce up the workshop. He said he wanted to put up pictures of all six of them and leave little notes everywhere so Ryan could remember how much they loved him, even if they did put him through incredibly high amounts of stress.

But Gavin hadn't expected to grow drowsy while lying there. He thought he was all rested up from the thirty minute long nap he took with Michael and Ray since he had woken up not long before Jack carried Ryan in from the workshop, but it was just so peaceful and comfortable to be pressed up against Ryan’s side and listen to his heartbeat and quiet breathing. He was briefly grateful that Ryan was one of the few in their relationship who doesn't snore. If Gavin focused hard enough, he thought he could even hear the others working in the kitchen a few rooms over, their laughter and voices muffled to the point where Gavin couldn't even tell them all apart. He focused again on Ryan alone and ended up falling asleep within minutes.

Around twenty minutes later, Geoff was in charge of getting Gavin—and Ryan if he was awake—for dinner. He knocked softly on the closed door before he let himself in and saw that Gavin had curled himself around Ryan, both of them fast asleep. He swore his heart felt lighter at that moment than it had all evening. On any normal day, he would have wrestled Gavin awake and dragged him to dinner, but he couldn't tonight. Not after such a hectic week and stressful day. He shook his head with a fond smile on his face and left the room, closing the door behind himself.

He went back to the others in the dining room and told them that Ryan and Gavin wouldn't be joining them. “The lazy assholes are both asleep,” he elaborated. “They can eat when they wake up or something.”

After eating and cleaning up the dishes and kitchen, Geoff went back to the spare room Gavin and Ryan were sleeping in. Gavin was just starting to wake up when Geoff opened the door, so that at least made things easier for Geoff. He walked over to the bed and sat down next to Gavin, ruffling his hair affectionately. "Hey there, buddy. You slept through dinner, but we saved some food for you in the kitchen if you want it."

Gavin uncurled himself from Ryan's side and sat up, shaking his head sleepily at Geoff. "I'm not leaving." Before Geoff could ask what he meant, Gavin continued by saying, "What if he wakes up and no one's here for him? I'm not leaving him alone."

Geoff shook his head and nudged Gavin. "Go get some food and spent time with the others. I'll stay here with Ryan, okay?"

After hesitating for a few more moments, Gavin finally slipped off the bed and away from Ryan. He kissed Geoff's cheek and thanked him, leaving the bedroom to eat dinner soon after. Geoff situated himself at the head of the bed, leaning his back against the wall and playing with Ryan's hair with one hand. He momentarily wished he had brought a book to read with him but decided that shitty iPhone apps would have to be good enough to pass the time. If he got bored of that, then he could always just take a nap like Gavin had done.

What felt like hours later, Michael poked his head through the doorway, grinning from ear-to-ear. "Hey, Geoffrey! How's Sleeping Beauty doing?"

"Fine, but can't you keep quiet?"

Michael just waved his hand in a dismissing motion at that before walking all the way into the room and sitting down on Ryan's other side. At least he was quiet for a few minutes before Ray walked in, Gavin and Jack trailing in behind him moments later. Geoff sighed but smiled when he saw Jack had brought the book Geoff was reading with him.

The six of them somehow managed to all fit onto the too-small bed, arguing over who should sit on the floor and explaining why they themselves should be the closest to Ryan. Jack and Geoff, who usually would have let the Lads argue it out while stealing either side of Ryan, soon found themselves caught up in the argument too. They had tried to keep everyone quiet at first, but that proved to be useless a few minutes in.

Unknown to the five, they had woken Ryan up with their arguing. Gavin would later blame it on Michael, who had insisted on lying across Ryan's chest to claim that spot as his own. Jack would blame Ray for trying to use wrestling moves on him. Geoff would lie and say it was everyone's fault except his own because he was just trying to read. Either way, Ryan was awake and not extremely happy about it. He groaned loudly and told the others to shut up for five minutes, which didn't happen of course. But they all got a little bit quieter afterwards, so that was a plus. It was also a first and probably a last.

Ryan cracked his eyes open, bringing one hand up to rub at his forehead. Immediately he had his five boyfriends asking if he needed water or pain medicine or for the lights to be off or anything else at all. Ryan shook them all off and tried to sit up, stopping when he realized there was someone on top of him. He looked down, and Michael sheepishly smiled up at him, rushing to get off Ryan's chest and sit on the bed instead. Ryan then sat up and asked just what the hell was going on.

Gavin grabbed both of Ryan's hands, looking like he wanted to say something, but he left the talking to Jack. Jack was always better at talking anyway, at least when his voice wasn't malfunctioning. "You wore yourself out, Ryan," he said gently from his spot near Ryan's feet. "I found you passed out in the workshop after you had worked on Gavin, so I brought you back here to let you sleep."

"You've been out for hours," Ray added, stealing one of Ryan's hands from Gavin. "You missed dinner and everything."

Michael nodded and leaned against Ryan's side. "Yeah, then we tried to watch a movie, but we got worried about you. I mean, I wasn't worried. You're a piece of shit, and I knew you'd be fine. But yeah."

Ryan rolled his eyes, playfully shoulder-checking Michael off himself, but before he could say anything, Gavin finally spoke up. "I missed dinner and stayed with you first. Then Geoff kicked me out. I wanted to be the first one here when you woke up."

"Yeah, he was a little asshole about it," Geoff said.

"Anyway, we're all here now, and you're awake. We just wanted to let you know that you don't have to work so hard all the time," Jack said seriously, his eyebrows furrowed together.

Gavin grinned and jokingly said, "We need you to stay in one piece so you can fix all of us."

“Speaking of fixing us so much, we’re sorry for being so damn dysfunctional,” Michael grumbled.

Ryan smiled and shook his head, mumbling about how he was dating a bunch of idiots. He knew they felt bad for the week they had put him through, but he really hadn't had a problem with it. Those things happen, and Ryan was just tired. All he really needed was a little time to sleep and relax. He would be fine in a few days as long as his boyfriends stayed healthy. He wouldn't need them to do anything other than that.

But just because he didn't need them to do anything doesn't mean he couldn't pretend and make them take care of him for a change. Really, though, Ryan was feeling better already.


End file.
